New community kitchen opens in Downtown Fresno to help mobile food vendors

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- On Tuesday, a new commissary kitchen opened up in Downtown Fresno. It offers a new safe space for food vendors.

Fresno's city and community leaders celebrated the grand opening of AJ's Commissary Kitchen.

It's a spot where catering businesses and mobile food vendors can prepare and package their food for sale.

"This is actually the first commissary to be able to rent out the kitchen for compact mobile food units," said Alejandro Cervantes, the owner of AJ's Commissary Kitchen. "They can come and cook tamales, corn, anything that they want."

Mobile food vendors can also store their food carts there.

"This commercial food kitchen and the two others that we're working to fund and get started will allow us to finally get a lot of the mobile food vendors to finally get their public health permit," said Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias.

"Because they now have access to a commercial kitchen."

Cervantes has been working in the food industry for almost three decades. He even helps manage his mother's bakery.

For the last few years, Cervantes said he's been working with the county and city to get AJ's Commissary Kitchen up and running. He hopes this space allows those smaller businesses to thrive at an affordable rate.

"Just the rent alone, deposits and everything you're getting everything here, the whole deal, at $250 a week, you can't beat that," said Cervantes.

Councilmember Arias said the city plans to work with commercial kitchens and groups like the Hispanic Area Foundation to keep the costs down.

Both city and community leaders hope that opening this commissary kitchen will not only help mobile vendors but also bring in more foot traffic to the area so that it can help small businesses in Chinatown.

"I feel like we're one of the parts of Fresno that get forgotten," said Cervantes. "With the closure of Tulare and Ventura for so many years already, it's been hard on businesses here."

Councilmember Arias said opening AJ's Commissary Kitchen is another step to help revitalize Chinatown.

"Opening this commercial kitchen area allows to bring small businesses who want to start their own restaurant and food business right to the core of our Chinatown neighborhood," said Arias.

Cervantes hopes to see all kinds of dishes being sold from this kitchen.

Mobile Food vendors who want to set up at the commercial kitchen can call (559) 801-4044.

Small businesses can also visit the Hispanic Fresno Area Foundation for more information.

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